Can my sanitary pad cause cervical cancer? (Cancer query)

I am a 30-year-old working mother of two children. Recently, I made a switch from readymade sanitary napkins, which are widely available in the stores, to reusable cloth pads made from absorbent cotton fabric. Recently, I came across an article on the internet which named sanitary napkins as one of the biggest, yet lesser known contributors of cervical cancers. Although I can’t verify the authenticity of the finding, I didn’t want to take a chance and immediately switched to cloth napkins, despite it being less convenient to use than the sanitary pad. But I want an expert’s opinion on whether sanitary napkins cause cervical cancers? This query has been answered by Dr Sudeep Gupta, Professor of Medical Oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital. Risk factors associated with cervical cancer have been extensively researched, and to my knowledge, there is no data to support or refute the fact that sanitary pads cause cancers in women. If anything, the use of sanitary napkins has increased over the ages. And I can show you, in every population-based cancer register, the incidence of cervical cancer has decreased. To put things into perspective, the incidence of cervical cancers in Mumbai in the 1980s was 35 in every 1,00,000 women. Today that figure has come down to 9-10 cases in 1,00,000 women. This decline in the incidence of cervical cancer has been seen all over the country, not just in Mumbai. Factors like hygiene, nutrition and reproductive patterns have a bearing on the incidence of cervical cancer. Risk factors for cervical cancer include having multiple sexual partners, chances of infection and micronutrient deficiency. Although much cannot be said about the role of sanitary pads as a risk factor for cervical cancer, in the recent years, talc has been named as a possible carcinogen. Not so long ago, the family of a woman who died of ovarian cancer in the US was awarded 70 million dollars. In a lawsuit against a leading baby products manufacturer, it was alleged that the lady died after the prolonged use of the company’s baby powder. Image source: Shutterstock

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